After consideration of formal objections by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and scores of other conservation, hunting and outdoor-related groups, as well as individual sportsmen and women and other citizens, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service did an about-face and will continue to allow recreational target shooting within the 1.3-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah.
In October 2024, the BLM proposed a management plan that would have banned recreational shooting across all Bears Ears lands, an activity that was previously allowed. Shortly thereafter, RMEF joined nine other organizations to file a protest on behalf of millions of Americans that such an action violated the Dingell Act, which states federal land closures to recreational shooting, hunting or fishing must apply to the smallest area for the least amount of time for the sake of public safety and other issues.
RMEF appreciates the attention given to the public comment process and all those whose actions led to the final ruling.
(Photo credit: Bureau of Land Management)